Annual General Meeting 2017

The Annual General Meeting of Givaudan SA took place on 23 March 2017 at the Espace Hippomène, Chatelaine (Geneva). It was attended by approximately 500 guests of whom 363 were shareholders or proxies (representing 3,752,938 shares or 40.64% of a total of 9,233,586 registered shares).

At this year’s AGM, after 18 years with the company, retiring Chairman Dr Jürg Witmer gave his farewell speech concluding on a note of confidence for the future. Newly appointed Chairman, Calvin Grieder warmly thanked all present for their trust and pledged to do his utmost to help steer Givaudan on a future growth path. The newly elected Chairman gave a special vote of thanks to Jürg Witmer, on behalf of the employees, executive team and Board of Directors, for his legacy of creating an environment that fostered value creation. 

This event was also an opportunity for Givaudan shareholders and guests to discover some of the secrets behind sensory innovation. The guests were invited to immerse themselves in sensory innovation experiences set up around four corners of the exhibit area.  Each area featured a theme, starting with the 4D Virtual Kitchen, where visitors were able to enjoy the fourth dimension of scent experience. Marking the recent acquisition of Spicetec, another exhibit featured a setting of spices, where visitors could taste different savoury sauces.

Guest speaker Agnes Bombrun, Head of the Fragrance Division’s Ingredient Research Group in Dübendorf, near Zurich, unveiled the attributes behind the two most iconic fragrance families: floral and citrus. With two examples, one in synthetic chemistry and the other in naturals, she told the story of how Givaudan surprises consumers with unique and novel ideas.